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their zeal in bringing every one within its pale, which can never be urged by Proteftants, with any fhadow of juftice and propriety.

There are many questions in Divinity, in the inveftigating of which the mind fluctuates with an irkfome uncertainty, unable to perceive fuch a preponderance of argument as will warrant it in embracing as true, either the one fide or the other. This hesitation arises, in many cafes, from our not understanding the full meaning of the language, be it common or figurative, in which a doctrine is revealed. In fome, it proceeds from our attempting to apprehend definitely, what is expreffed indeterminately or clearly, what God hath not thought proper clearly to reveal; in others, it is to be attributed to an indecifion of temper, to which fome men are peculiarly fubject: but let it originate from what cause it may, it is far more tolerable than an arrogant temerity of judgment. A fufpicion of fallibility would have been an useful principle to the profeffors of Chriftianity in every age; it would have choaked the fpirit of perfecution in its birth, and have rendered not only the church of Rome, but every church in Christendom, more shy of affuming to itself the proud title of Orthodox, and of branding every other with the opprobrious one of Heterodox, than any of them have hitherto been. There are, you will fay, doubtlefs, fome fundamental doctrines in Christianity.- --Paul, the Apostle, has laid down one foundation; and he tells us, that other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jefus The Chrift.But this propofition--Jefus is the Meffiah--includes, you will reply, several others, which are equally true. I acknowledge that it does fo; and it is every man's duty to fearch the Scriptures, that may know what thofe truths are; but I do not conceive it to be any man's duty, to anathematize those who cannot fubfcribe to his catalogue of fundamental Chriftian verities. That man is not to be efteemed an Atheist, who acknowledges the existence of a God, the Creator of the univerfe, though he cannot affent to all the truths of natural religion, which other men may undertake to deduce from that principle: nor is he to be esteemed a Deift, who acknowledges that Jefus of Nazareth is indeed the Chrift, the Saviour of the world, though he cannot affent to all the truths of revealed religion, which other men may think themselves warranted in deducing from thence. Still you will probably rejoin, there must be many truths in the Chriftian religion, concerning which no one ought to hefitate, inafmuch as, without a belief in them, he cannot be reputed a Chriftian.-Reputed! by whom? By

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Jefus Chrift his Lord and his God, or by you?Rafh expos fitors of points of doubtful difputation; intolerant fabricators of metaphyfical Creeds, and incongruous Systems of Theology! Do you undertake to measure the extent of any man's underftanding, except your own; to estimate the ftrength and origin of his habits of thinking; to appreciate his merit or demerit in the use of the talent which God has given him, fo as unerringly to pronounce that the belief of this or that doctrine is neceffary to his falvation? It is undoubtedly neceffary to yours, if you are perfuaded that it comes from God; but you take too much upon you, when you erect yourself into an infallible judge of truth and falfehood. We, as Chriftians, are under no uncertainty as to the being of a God; as to his moral government of the world; as to the terms on which finners may be reconciled to him; as to the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift; as to a refurrection from the dead; as of a future ftate of retribution; nor with refpect to other important queftions, concerning which the wifeft of the Heathen Philofophers were either wholly ignorant, or had no fettled notions. But there are other fubjects on which the Academicorum non may be admitted, I apprehend, without injuring the foundations of our Religion: fuch are the queftions which relate to the power of Evil Spirits to fufpend the laws of nature, or to actuate the minds of men; to the materiality or immateriality of the human foul; the ftate of the dead before the general refurrection; the refurrection of the fame body; the duration of future punishments; and many others of the fame kind. Some one will think that I here speak too freely, and accuse me, probably, as an encourager of fceptical and latitudinarian principles.

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-What! Shall the church of Christ never be freed from the narrow-minded contentions of bigots; from the insults of men who know not what spirit they are of, when they would stint the Omnipotent in the exercise of his mercy, and bar the doors of heaven against every fect but their own? Shall we never learn to think more humbly of ourselves, and less despicably of others? to believe that the Father of the universe accommodates not his judgments to the wretched wranglings of pedantic Theologues; but that every one, who, with an honeft intention, and to the best of his ability feeketh the truth, whether he findeth it or not, and worketh righteousness, will be accepted of him? I have no regard for latitudinarian principles, nor for any principles, but the principles of Truth; and Truth every man muft endeavour to investigate for himself; and, ordinarily speaking, he will be most fuccessful

fuccefful in his endeavours, who examines, with candour and care, what can be urged on each fide of a greatly controverted queftion. This fort of examination may, in fome intances, produce a doubt, an hesitation, a diffident fufpenfion of judgment; but it will at the fame time produce mutual forbearance and good temper towards those who differ from us; our charity will be enlarged, as our understanding is improved. Partial examination. is the parent of pertinacity of opinion; and a froward propenfity to be angry with those who question the validity of our principles, or deny the juftnefs of our conclufions, in any matter refpecting philofophy, policy, or religion, is an infallible mark of prejudice; of our having grounded our opinions on fashion, fancy, intereft, on the unexamined tenets of our family, fect, or party; on any thing rather than on the folid foundation of cool and difpaffionate reafoning-Iliacos intra muros peccatur et extraChurchmen as well as Diffenters, and diffenters as well as churchmen, are apt to give a degree of affent to opinions beyond what they can give a reafon for; this is the very effence of prejudice: it is difficult for any man entirely to diveft himself of all prejudice, but he may furely take care that it be not accompanied with an uncharitable propenfity to ftigmatize with reproachful appellations, thofe who cannot meafure the rectitude of the Divine difpenfations by his rule, nor feek their way to heaven, by infifting on the path which he, in his overweening wifdom, has arrogantly prefcribed as the only one which can lead men thither.

This intolerant fpirit has abated much of its violence in the courfe of this century amongst ourselves: we pray to God that it may be utterly extinguished in every part of Chriftendoin, and that the true fpirit of Chriftianity, which is the fpirit of meeknefs, peace, and love, may be introduced in its flead. If different men, in carefully and confcientiously examining the Scriptures, fhould arrive at different conclufions, even on points of the last importance; we truft that God, who alone knows what every man is capable of, will be merciful to him that is in error. We trust that he will pardon the Unitarian, if he be in an error, because he has fallen into it from the dread of becoming an Idolater, of giving that glory to another which he conceives to be due to God alone. If the worfhipper of Jefus Chrift be in an error, we trust that God will pardon his miftake, because he has fallen into it from a dread of difobeying what he conceives to be revealed concerning the nature of the Son, or commanded concerning the bonour to be given him. Both are actuated by the fame principle-THE FEAR .. VOL. I.

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OF GOD; and, though that principle impels them into different roads, it is our hope and belief, that, if they add to their faith charity, they will meet in heaven.--If any one thinks differently on the fubject, I will have no contention with him; for I feel no difpofition to profelyte others to any opinion of mine: efteeming it a duty to fpeak what I think, I have no fcruple in doing that; but to do more is to affect a tyranny over other men's minds; it is to encounter not only the reason, but the paffions, prejudices, and interefts of mankind; it is to engage in a conAlict, in which Chriftian charity feldon efcapes unhurt on either fide.

Too much pains cannot be taken by the Clergy in examining the external and internal evidences of the truth of the Gofpel, in order that they may generate in their own minds a full conviction of the unfpeakable importance of the work in which they are engaged; but that conviction being once produced, their time will be far more usefully employed in difcharging their paftoral office with fidelity, than in weighing the importance of all the difcordant fyftems of faith, which have in different ages and countries, not merely occupied the attention of Schoolmen and Monks, but unfheathed the fwords of princes, and polluted the temple of Chrift with more blood than was ever shed on the altars of Moloch, or in honour of Vitzliliputzuli, the God of Mexico. Happily for our age, this fpirit of perfecution is well nigh extinguished; for notwithstanding the fad fate of the Calas family in France; notwithstanding the demon of fanaticifm which fpread its delufion over London and Edinburgh, on the relaxation of the laws against Popery; notwithstanding the burning zeal of a few furious bigots amongst every sect of Chriftians; ftill may we foretel, from obferving the figns of the times, that the æra is approaching very faft, when Theological Acrimony fhall be fwallowed up in Evangelical Charity, and a liberal toleration become the diftinguishing feature of every church in Chriftendom. The ruling powers in Proteftant and Catholic ftates begin at length every where to perceive, that an uniformity of fentiment in matters of religion is a circumftance impoffible to be obtained; that it has never yet exifted in the church of Chrift; from the Apoftolic age to our own; and they begin to be afhamed of the fines, confifcations, imprisonments, tortures, of all the unjust and sanguinary efforts which they have feverally made ufe of to procure it. They perceive too that a diverfity in religious opinions may fubfift among the fubjects of the fame ftate, without endangering the common weal; and they begin to think it reasonable, that

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no man fhould be abridged in the exercise of natural rights, merely on the score of Religion. Thefe enlarged fentiments proceed not, I would willingly hope, from what the Germans have called Indifferentism in Religion; but partly from a perfect knowledge of its true end, which is Charity; and partly from that confcioufnefs of intellectual weakness, which is ever most confpicuous in minds the most enlightened; and which, whereI ever it fubfifts, puts a ftop to dogmatifm and intolerance of every kind.

The Books and Tracts which I have here printed, are all of them fo well known, that there is little need to give a long account of any of them. I have chofen them out of a great variety, which fuggefted themselves to my mind; but I have no expectation that every one fhould be pleafed with the choice which I have made. I once knew a Divine of the Church of England, of great eminence in it, and deservedly esteemed a good fcholar, who, having accidentally taken up, in a friend's apartment, a book written by a Diffenter, haftily laid it down again, declaring, that "he never read diffenting Divinity." I ought to apologize to Men of this Gentleman's opinion, for having made fo much ufe of the works of the Diffenters in this Collection; but the truth is, I did not at all confider the quarter from whence the matter was taken, but whether it was good, and fuited to my purpose; it was a circumstance of utter indifference to me, whether it was of Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, provided it was of Chrift.

As this Collection will probably fall into the hands of fome, who may wish to become acquainted with the fort of Questions which are usually maintained by thofe who proceed to the degree of Bachelor or Doctor in Divinity, I thought it might be of fervice to them, if I put down a few of those which have been publicly disputed on in the Theological Schools at Cambridge, within the last twenty-five or thirty years. I have not obferved much order in arranging the queftions: the reader will remark, that they are not all of equal importance; and, what he may judge more extraordinary, he will perceive, that the fame doctrine is not maintained in them all. With regard to their importance, that must be expected to be variable, as they have been propofed by men of very different talents and judgements. A fameness of doctrine might indeed have been secured by the Profeffor, without whofe approbation no queftion can be propofed for difputation: but I, for my part, (though fome will probably blame me for it) have thought it more liberal and reasonable to fuffer this contrariety,

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